Read the Play Partners with Morris to Strengthen Youth Mental Health Across the Region

Read the Play (RTP) is proud to announce a new partnership with Morris as the Official Business Finance Partner, bringing together two organisations committed to strengthening young people’s mental health and wellbeing across the Barwon region.

The partnership is grounded in a strong alignment of purpose, with both organisations committed to building genuine relationships and delivering meaningful outcomes for the communities they serve.

Morris places significant importance on understanding the perspectives of others and striving to exceed expectations. These principles closely mirror Read the Play’s approach to working with young people, families and sporting communities. Both organisations recognise that meaningful impact begins with listening, understanding and responding with care.

Through this partnership, Morris will support the continued delivery of Read the Play’s preventative mental health literacy programs across sporting clubs and community settings. RTP’s evidence-informed programs equip young people, parents and clubs with practical tools to recognise early signs of mental health challenges, build resilience and foster supportive environments within sport.

As part of the partnership, Morris will also become the Major Sponsor of Read the Play’s Game Changers Leadership Program, a youth-led initiative empowering young people aged 14–20 from local sporting clubs to lead conversations around mental health and drive positive change within their communities. The sponsorship will support the continued growth of the program, enabling more young leaders to access opportunities to build confidence, connection and leadership skills through sport.

Michelle Gerdtz, General Manager of Read the Play, welcomed the collaboration.

“This partnership provides important momentum for Read the Play as we continue to grow. Support from Morris strengthens our capacity to deliver evidence-informed programs and deepen our impact across the Barwon region.”

Morris Managing Director, Scott Valle commented the organisation was proud to contribute to preventative mental health initiatives that create lasting change.

“At Morris, we believe strong communities are built through genuine partnerships. Supporting Read the Play and becoming Major Sponsor of the Game Changers Leadership Program allows us to invest in young people and help create sporting environments where mental health conversations are encouraged and supported.

Community is central to Morris, and we’re proud to back initiatives that empower young people and create stronger, more connected places to live and play.”

This partnership highlights the power of local collaboration in addressing complex social challenges and ensuring young people have access to early, proactive support in the places they feel most connected.

For more information about Read the Play and its programs, please visit www.readtheplay.org.au